WHITTIER, Calif. — Hakim Arnold had 23 points and Karl Reyes had 10 off the bench, but Nick Demusis and Whittier caught fire in the second half to beat the University of La Verne men's basketball team, 79-64, at Graham Athletic Center on Tuesday night.
How it happened: Whittier just couldn't miss in the second half. The Poets were 17-of-27 from the field (63 percent), made six of 10 three-pointers and converted 12 of 14 free throws in the second half.
Demusis scored an incredible 31 points on 10-of-13 shooting in the second half. He was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and made 10 trips to the line, sinking eight free throws.
Arnold did what he could for La Verne, scoring 16 points in the second half on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting, but it just wasn't enough for the red-hot Whittier offense.
The first half was a far cry from the later potion of the game. The Leopards held the Poets to 37 percent shooting and limited Demusis to just two points and went into halftime trailing, 27-25.
Players of the game: Arnold added four rebounds and two assists to go along with his team-high 23 points.
Reyes had his best scoring night since the season-opening trip to Oregon and chipped in two rebounds and two assists.
Demusis finished with 33 points. Andrew Torres provided big spark off the bench for Whittier with 19 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
What it means: The Leopards slip to 3-6 in SCIAC play (7-11 overall) while Whittier improves to 6-4 (12-7) and slides into fourth place in the league standings.
Up next: The Leopards will wrap up their three-game road swing with a huge matchup at Occidental on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. A win for La Verne would go a long way towards staying within striking distance of a spot in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament.
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